The North East India houses around 130 ethnic tribal communities which exhibits unique tradition, dialect and culture. These communities collect edible plants from wild forming a common practice for livelihood and subsistence even today. Of the varieties of plant consumed, ferns and fern–allies also constitute an important food supplement. An inventory survey was conducted in order to assess the wild edible ferns and fern–allies which are used as vegetables by various ethnic communities of North East India. Altogether, twenty-three (23) ferns and fern–allies are found to be edible, and used in preparing various cuisines. Four species viz. Diplazium esculentum (Retz.) Sw., Huperzia phlegmaria (L.) Rothm., Huperzia squarrosa (G. Forst.) Trevis. and Nephrolepis cordifolia (L.) C. Presl were cultivated in small scale for consumption and horticultural purposes, while the rest of the species were directly harvested from wild habitat. Role of these ferns in local cuisines, other reported uses and bioactive components were discussed. The study also emphasises on future development of ferns and its allies as potential vegetables in North East India.

Edible ferns and fern–allies of North East India: a study on potential wild vegetables

Anti-ulcer and anti-Helicobacter pylori potentials of the ethyl acetate fraction of Physalis alkekengi L. var. franchetii (Solanaceae) in rodent.

The evolution of microorganism defense systems has led to intensive searches for new drugs extracted from various natural products to fight microbial infections. This study evaluated the antibacterial and antifungal activity of Lygodium venustum, a climbing fern. A phytochemical screening was performed using ethanol extract from leaves of L. venustum (EELV), detecting the presence of phenols, tannins, flavonoids and alkaloids. The test of Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) against Escherichia coli, Staphyloccocus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, C. krusei and C. tropicalis was evaluated using the microdilution method, resulting in inhibitory concentrations ≥ 1024 µg/mL. Using a subinhibitory concentration of 128 µg/mL of EELV, the modulatory potential of the extract was tested against multidrug-resistant clinical isolates, resulting in synergism when combined with Gentamicin and actually altering the phenotype of S. aureus from sensitive to resistant. The extract also increas...

https://bioone.org/journals/american-fern-journal/volume-102/issue-2/0002-8444-102.2.154/Antimicrobial-and-Modulatory-Activity-of-Ethanol-Extract-of-the-Leaves/10.1640/0002-8444-102.2.154.pdf

Antimicrobial and Modulatory Activity of Ethanol Extract of the Leaves from Lygodium venustum SW

The spores of Lygodium japonicum (Thunb.) Sw. (L. japonicum) have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of various inflammatory diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying their anti‑inflammatory effects have yet to be elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the anti‑inflammatory effects of ethanol extracts of L. japonicum spores (ELJ) by measuring the production of inflammatory mediators, and explored the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of ELJ in murine macrophages in vitro using immunoblotting analyses. At non‑cytotoxic concentrations of (50‑300 µg/ml), ELJ was revealed to significantly suppress the production of nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‑α in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‑stimulated murine RAW 264.7 macrophages; ELJ repressed the production of interleukin (IL)‑6 only at high concentrations (≥200 µg/ml). The ELJ‑mediated decrease in NO production was demonstrated to depend on the downregulation of inducible NO synthase mRNA and protein expression. Conversely, the mRNA and protein expression of cyclooxygenase‑2 were not affected by ELJ. In addition, ELJ was revealed to inhibit the mRNA expression of IL‑6, IL‑1β, and TNF‑α in LPS‑stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. The effects of ELJ on proinflammatory mediators may have been due to the stabilization of inhibitor of κBα and the inhibition of p38 mitogen‑activated protein kinase (MAPK). These results suggested that ELJ may suppress LPS‑induced inflammatory responses in murine macrophages in vitro, through the negative regulation of p38 MAPK and nuclear factor (NF)‑κB. Therefore, ELJ may have potential as a novel candidate for the development of therapeutic strategies aimed at alleviating inflammation.

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Anti‑inflammatory effects on murine macrophages of ethanol extracts of Lygodium japonicum spores via inhibition of NF‑κB and p38

A new compound from Lygodium japonicum (Thunb.) Sw.

OBJECTIVE To study the chemical constituents of Lygodium japonicum. METHOD Column chromatographic techniques were used for isolation and purification of chemical constituents of this plant and their structures were identified by spectroscopic analysis. RESULT Eight compounds were isolated and identified as tilianin (I), kaempferol-7-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside (II), kaempferol (III), p-coumaric acid (IV), hexadecanoic acid 2, 3-dihydroxy-propyl ester (V), daucosterol (VI), beta-sitosterol (VII, and 1-hentriacontanol (VIII) respectively. CONCLUSION Compounds I, II, V, VI, VII, VIII were isolated from L. japonicum for the first time, compounds I, II, V were isolated from genus Lygodium for the first time.

Fang Hu

Papers

Studies on the chemical constituents in herb of Lygodium japonicum